Books in the categories of Fiction, First Work of Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Juvenile (to age 12), Young Adult, Californiana, and Contribution to Publishing

Work must have been written by authors living in California at the time their work was published or submitted for publication.

To be eligible for Californiana, the work must deal with a California-based issue, topic, or historical period.

To be eligible for Contribution to Publishing, the publisher must be a California resident.

To be eligible for Juvenile, the writer and illustrator (if applicable) must be California residents.

To be eligible for First Work of Fiction, the work must be the author’s first fictional effort. Previously published short story collections will disqualify an author from the First Work of Fiction category, however, the author can still submit for the Fiction category.

Short story collections and essays by the same author will be accepted for consideration under the Fiction category.

If certain stories in the short story or essay collection have been published previously, the work may still be submitted for consideration. Eligibility is at the discretion of the jury.

WE DO NOT ACCEPT:

Self-published works

Works from a publishing house that does not have some sort of vetting process

Commonwealth Club

The leading national forum open to all for the impartial discussion of public issues important to the membership, community and nation. The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. Each year, we bring nearly 500 events on topics ranging across politics, culture, society and the economy to more than 25,000 members and the public, both in-person and via an extensive online and on-air listenership and viewership.